Kenya Football .:. Story - Why Kff Should Stay Away From The Government . . .

Why KFF should stay away from the government . . . - kenyafootball.com image

By Kipe Ya Yo

There is not much Sambili (read the government) can do to make a difference in Kenya football. And even if there is, we should not encourage her to get involved in the day to day running of KFF affairs.

This over dependence on government is the source of the mediocrity at KFF. In fact even though it is prudent to keep Government of Kenya (GOK) as a friend for many reasons, KFF should make it a point to stay as far away as possible from the government for three reasons:

1. Government has no long term incentive to run sport. When it gets involved, it is for short term political reasons. If in doubt study the history of the KFF, AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia. Only last year, in the thick of a protracted yet ridiculous battle between GOK, KFF X 2, and FIFA, the then sports minister Maina Kamanda declared Harambee Stars GOK property complete with a big name management board.

Anybody heard anything about the board lately?

2. The government cannot afford to run football or any other sport for that matter for the long term. This is as straight forward as can be.

3. FIFA does not like governments getting involved in federation affairs. The reason is that federations are FIFA affiliates and therefore can be put in check by FIFA statutes whenever there is a conflict. Governments are not bound by any FIFA statutes. That is why FIFA reacts almost with excessive force at any slight sign of interference.

Football is only one aspect of sport in Kenya. There is track and field, cricket, rugby, volleyball, boxing, hockey, swimming etc. If the hit Squad (Kenya Boxing team) goes to Beijing and blows everybody away, guess where Sambili will be.

The governments job should be only and only to provide a favorable environment for the federations to thrive. Like a parent strives to ensure that the kids no matter how many have the right tools to succeed in life. If you find yourself at 30 still living with your parents then something is seriously wrong.

KFF needs to wake up to the fact that amateur sports are recreational.

To compete at today's levels, football must turn pro, and to sustain a pro sport it must be profitable or it will die. Thing is these things are easier said than done. They require vision, hard work and often SACRIFICE. These are the 10 years from now kind of choices; in other words when the fruit matures only insiders may remember your input and it will be up to them to give you the credit or hog it.

A good example is the 1987 Harambee Stars which lost a gallant final against Egypt after claiming casualties such as Cameroon and a loaded Malawi. I am not going to go into whether or not the late Fabisch was a good coach but he got the credit for that unforgettable performance.

Truth is he was a beneficiary of a system put in place in the early 1970s by one Bernard Zgoll who is incidentally also credited with a similar feat in the Philippines.

Very few remember Bernard Zgoll. Anyone still interested?